The Cherry Blossom's Trunk
by Lady Sunchaser
Summary: Sakura has been declared dead. Tenzou will never be the same. Imagine his surprise when he stumbles upon a memory loss inflicted kunoichi . . . CONTAINS: YamaSaku. Tenzou x Sakura. Slight SasuSaku. Possible swearing, lemon and fluff. Depressing.
1. Never Be The Same

**A/N:**

_I was listening to the song Never Be The Same by Red. This song was so inspirational, I just_ **had** _to write a story around it. I was writing this along the way, the ideas were just pouring down on me :) It's a bit depressing, sorry. I have to say this is my favorite one so far!_

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><p><em>"What's your favorite color, Taichou?"<em>

_"Green."_

_"Like my eyes?"_

_"Yeah . . ."_

_"What's your second favorite color? Brown?" she teased._

_"No. It's pink."_

_"Pink? I knew you and Kakashi-sensei had something going on!" she winked._

_He shook his head and grinned softly. "Just because I like pink shouldn't make me gay . . . I just love Sakura blossoms. They're pink."_

_"Really? I love them too. It doesn't help I was named Sakura, huh?"_

* * *

><p>It was impossible to keep the tears from shedding down his face. Shinobi didn't cry. If his ANBU teammates were to see him in such a weakened state, they would've looked at him in disdain and lose all respect for him. He couldn't help himself. The memories refused to halt their miserable assault. He still couldn't bring himself to accept the news he had received a month ago. She was dead.<p>

How could she be dead? As if somehow trying to console him, just like she had months ago, the Sakura blossoms whirled around him in silence. They fastened themselves around his soaked to the bone shirtless skin. Some even clutched unto his hair.

The rain continued to pummel down to the ground and thunder rumbled menacingly, convincing everyone sane in Konoha to retire indoors. That's probably why he wasn't at home. He wasn't sane. Not without her.

It seemed as if every rain drop that struck him brought a memory of pain.

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><p><em>"I love the cherry blossom trees in this park. I come here anytime I can, especially on my birthday when they're in full bloom . . ."<em>

_"Why do you come alone all the time?"_

_She shrugged. "I never found someone special to share it with."_

_"May I share it with you?"_

_She gave him her world lightening smiles. "You're always so polite! Of course, Tenzou."_

* * *

><p>Even if this had been several years ago, he could still feel the warmth that had enveloped his heart when his name had graced her lips. His real name. Not Taichou, not captain, not Yamato. Tenzou. She had called him Tenzou and had continued to do so since that day.<p>

Today was her birthday. March 28th. This was the only year he had witnessed rain during this season. He supposed that even nature weeped for one of it's beautiful creatures - her. The cherry blossoms were peeled off from their tree thanks to the harsh winds and rain drops. The trees were being stripped of their only beauty.

He sadistically smiled to himself. These trees were just like him. He was the sturdy, plain and completely vacant tree lacking flowers. When he had met her, she allowed himself, the tree, to flourish with beautiful blossoms. Now that she was gone, the tree was falling into pieces. The tree was going to go to be hollow once more.

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><p><em>"It's beautiful! You really didn't have to, Taichou!"<em>

_"It's your birthday. How could I not have gotten you something?"_

_Her cheeks flushed into a delicate pink, the same exact shade of a cherry blossom. "I mean, I guess a present is okay, but not such an expensive one!"_

_He ignored her protests. "Please accept it. It really matches you. Besides, it wasn't expensive. Here, I'll put it on for you."_

_She silently passed him the necklace and scooted her back to him so he could maneuver the necklace with ease around her neck. He gently wrapped the slightly loose platinum chain around her beautifully sculpted neck and had a little trouble clasping the delicate chains together._

_"Where'd you get it from?" she asked adoringly as she picked up the necklace that settled just inches above her cleavage. He had hand picked the chain a bit smaller than the usual 18" like the woman in the store had recommended. He knew her bone structure was slim and he didn't want the necklace to be totally loose._

_"I made it."_

_She widened her eyes. "You made this? Really?"_

_He just nodded his head and fondly smiled as he saw shock and adoration settle upon her gorgeous face. "It wasn't difficult. When you specialize in wood, the skill of wood carving is like a second skin."_

_"The cherry blossom has so much detail, though! I can see every intricate notch made into the wood. . . The texture of it is incredibly smooth, too! I can't imagine even female hand's handling such a difficult task! It's like around the size of the tip of my forefinger. If you had screwed up, you would've had to start over all again! On top of that, you had somehow managed to dye the wood pink, a pink that totally matches a real cherry blossom. Oh! And you even tucked in a piece of gold in the middle . . . "_

_He had just sat there and silently blushed, unsure of what to do with all these compliments that she was showering him with. He wasn't going to admit it out loud, but he had taken extreme precautions with it. Every single carving on that piece of wood had been with absolute care. He had worked on it a bit every day, refusing to land a single mistake on it. It had to be perfect._

_"What did you make it out of?"_

_"I wanted it to be a bit special," he admitted, as he began to crawl around towards the back of the tree they were currently leaning up against._

_"What do you mean?" she asked as she followed him curiously to the other side of the hugest Sakura tree in Konoha._

_Instead of replying, he just lifted his finger to the perfectly sculpted heart shaped piece he had delicately cut into the wood. He didn't want to leave an ugly shaped square in her beautiful tree. In the heart shaped cut, he had carved her name into it._

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><p>Tenzou was brought up from his reminiscing from a bolt of lightning that crackled through the air. He glanced up at the sky before his gaze settled upon the heart shaped cut in front of him. He was currently kneeled down in front of her favorite tree, in front of the cut that had been made exactly a year before.<p>

He reached out to touch the damp bark and his fingers fondly trailed her name, an action he had forced himself to do everyday. He could compare himself to this tree. He had her name written on his own heart. Her name would forever be carved into him and forever it would stay.

His fingers trailed down to the inscribed letters below her name and closed he closed his eyes in sorrow.

* * *

><p><em>"It's missing something," she insisted as she whipped out her own kunai. She crowded up closer to the heart shaped indention, blocking his line of sight. He backed off to give her more room and waited patiently for her to finish whatever had been missing.<em>

_"There," she said with finality as she backed away from the tree to allow him a peep._

_His heart had burst with happiness. In that heart, right below her name, was 'And Tenzou'. She had allowed him officially into her life. Having the honor of his name in one of her most valued objects in the world was beyond describable._

_"Y-you didn't have to! This tree means a lot to you, you shouldn't have put my name on there," he stuttered in protest as he began to put his hand up against the tree, ready to remove his name with his wood element._

_She put her own hand on top of the hand he had upon the tree. "Don't," she said simply as she lifted up the wood carved Sakura from her chest. "This tree doesn't mean as much to me as this carving does."_

_He just silently stared at her in astonishment._

_"Promise me something?"_

_"Anything."_

_"Promise you'll always come with me here. Especially on my birthday. Okay?" _

_She stuck out her pinky finger solemnly and added, "Pinky promise me, Tenzou. These type of promises are legit."_

_"I promise," he smiled, clasping his pinky finger around her own. "Pinky promise."_

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><p>Yamato gulped back another wrenching, chocking sob that threatened to erupt from the depths of his heart. Reluctantly, he stumbled to his numb feet. He had to show up for his ANBU meeting. It was crucial for him to attend and if he had it his way, he could've spent all his life sobbing in front of her tree. But, life was a bastard and it continued to move on and change.<p>

A stray Sakura petal floated in front of him. Hesitantly, he extended his hand out to receive the petal delicately between his forefinger and thumb. He pressed the petal to his lips.

He could **never** **be the same** without her.


	2. Carved

**A/N: **

_Just another adorable chapter featuring Tenzou and Sakura :) I have an idea of where to drive this story ~_

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><p><em>"Tenzou, will it hurt?" she asked, her eyes flickered with worry.<em>

_He furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head. "No, it won't."_

_"I've never had a tattoo before," she mused as a beefy arm popped itself from behind a door, ushering them to come inside._

_"Neither had I when I had gotten my ANBU tattoo. It's painless. There's just a slight tingling feeling. You're strong, so you'll barely feel it," he assured her, squeezing her hand as they stood up to slip inside the dimly illuminated room._

_"You're going to stay with me, right?"_

_"I'll be right here."_

_"Promise?" she pressed, looking up into his face._

_He gave her a gentle smile. "I promise."_

* * *

><p>"Different day, same shit, huh?" chuckled the tattoo artist, snapping Tenzou from his memories.<p>

Tenzou just gave a wary smile and took a seat on the other side of the table, across from the tattoo artist. He readily rolled up the sleeves of his jounin shirt, revealing his slightly faded ANBU tattoo.

The artist gave him a grateful smile as he began dipping the tattoo needle inside a bottle of red ink. The wood user raised up his eyebrow in silent question. Noticing Tenzou's reaction, the artist said casually as he began to gently outline the inky black ANBU tattoo, "This is a different type of seal, hence the different color. It's a lot more stronger than the black ink. This one disallows you from sharing anything personal about yourself, just in case during this mission you become compromised."

Tenzou just nodded as he closed his eyes, relaxing under the tingling buzz of the needle. He had come in for a re inking at least 5 times through out his entire career of being an ANBU. The ink was composed of a type of sealing chakra that made sure they stayed true to their missions.

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><p><em>"Aaaah! T-t-tenzou, it h-hurts," she wailed in between chocked up breaths.<em>

_Tenzou felt as if a kunai had been slid through his heart. Seeing her cry was unbelievably heart shattering. He glared at the tattoo artist who was obviously a newbie. The tattoo artist sweat dropped, put down the needle and raised his hands up in defense._

_"Hey, look man, this is my first attempt . . ."_

_Tenzou just continued to menacingly glare at the man and flicked his finger towards the door. "Get out."_

_The man happily complied as he scrambled for the door like it was his only life line._

_The wood user continued to clutch unto her delicate fingers and went on the other side of the table to pick up the pen. He looked up sorrowfully at the kunoichi who was still trying to sniffle back her tears. "I'm sorry, you do need this tattoo. I'll do it from now on, okay?"_

_Her lips quirked up into a small smile. "Even if you've probably never tattooed someone, I trust you way more than that guy."_

_Tenzou just silently nodded and picked up the pen. He turned his full attention to her luscious skin that was now marred by the ink. Silently, he began to draw in the rest of the tattoo pre-cautiously. Drawing out a tattoo deemed to be easier than wood carving. When he finished, he began to clean up, leaving Sakura in silence._

_"Why aren't you talking?"_

_Tenzou shrugged silently, avoiding her gaze as he crossed the table over to her side. He sat across from her again and grasped her hand. Slowly, he pulled her closer and he craned down his neck to tenderly kiss the redness of her skin from the earlier tattoo artist._

_"Tenzou," she said sternly, tugging her hand from his grasp. "Talk to me."_

_It wasn't until his fathomless eyes met hers that she realized he had let a few tears slip down his face. He continued to stare into her astonished emerald eyes._

_"Tenzy, what's wrong?" she asked, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him in close._

_Instead of immediately answering, he nuzzled his face into her chest and said hesitantly, "I won't let anyone hurt you every again. That man . . . he hurt you by just giving you a tattoo . . . I'll never forgive him."_

_He let a soft whimper escape his throat as he was shoved away from the warmth of her bosom. Immediately, his chin was seized and he was forced to look into her eyes that were now filled with concern. "Tenzou, it was just a tattoo, alright? I didn't expect it to hurt so much, it was my first time. In fact, wait, it didn't even hurt, I was just caught off guard . . ."_

_Tenzou shook his head. "Regardless, I'm never going to let anyone make you cry ever again. I promise."_

* * *

><p>"There ya go, son! This is my first time tattooing this type of ink on someone, and I think I did a pretty damn good job of it! This mission must be extremely classified, huh? Good luck to ya."<p>

Tenzou wobbled up to his feet, still unable to trust himself with speaking. He wanted nothing more than to let tears fall down his face from his recent remembrance. His heart still throbbed uncontrollably. He whispered a 'Thank You' as he slipped out the door.

Instantly, he snatched his items from the waiting chair outside of the room and made a dash for outside. He welcomed the chilly air and headed over to his little sanctuary. He had a good hour before his mission was to begin, anyway.

The pathway to the Sakura Park was as easy as breathing to him. He knew how to get here better than getting home. Nowadays, he spent all of his time here. At night, he evenly divided his time between crashing at her apartment or in the park, in front of _their_ tree.

Tenzou plopped his newly acquired documents and package unto the ground before thumping himself down beside it. He was in front of the heart shaped carving again. He gave a fond tiny smile to the words written inside of it and began to unfold the package.

Inside was a fresh ANBU mask. ANBUs changed the appearance of their masks at least twice a year to constantly change their identity. However, for this mission, they had been required to decorate completely new masks. He wrestled out the starch white mask from the package and delicately wiggled out the array of color paints.

The first color he dipped the paint brush into was pink. He began to draw a single cherry blossom petal shedding out from the corner of both eye holes. They resembled tears. Intricately, he began to weave thin brown lines around the perimeter of his mask. On the cheeks of the mask, he branched the brown lines out like a tree and began to exquisitely paint cherry blossoms upon them. He outlined the eyeholes with black paint and filled the triangle shaped nose as well. For the final touch, he grabbed the pink paint again and began tracing the feline cat mouth. Pink resembled her. She was the reason why he smiled.

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><p><em>"Tenzou, how'd you decorate your mask?"<em>

_He looked over his shoulder to the clearly distressed kunoichi. He gave a small smile and willingly halted his progress on his mission report. He put down his pen and went to join the woman on the couch. Tenzou gazed down at the starch white blank face of an ANBU mask._

_"To be honest, I just added random lines . . . But, masks should represent you as an individual. "_

_She pouted. "And that would be?"_

_Tenzou grinned. "That would be beauty, strength, intelligence, courage, dilligence . . . the list goes on."_

_While he was listing those attributes, she had giggled the entire time. It took her awhile to calm down and ponder what he just said. _

_"Well, I know the first thing I want on my mask."_

_"What is it?"_

_"The thing that I'm pretty sure defines my life," she said evasively as she brought up her knees up to her chin and turned to face him, not wanting him to look at what she was going to draw. She dipped her paint brush into the brown, lightly stroked the mask and then dipped the brush into the pink. When she was done, she scooted closer to him and showed him the mask._

_He blushed as she whispered, "You."_

* * *

><p>A tear leaked from his eye as he decided to draw one last thing unto his mask. Delicately, he picked up the brush and began drawing the wooden pendant he had given her. She had made that drawing the main feature of her mask.<p>

He glanced down at his uniformed ANBU watch. Of course time had slipped by, just like the life of his lover. He had 10 minutes before his teammates would assemble at the front gate of Konoha.

Sighing, he snapped off his metal Hitai-ate forehead protector from his face and withdrew a kunai from his pouch. He stabbed the kunai into the hitai-ate and ran his kunai all the way across the metal, effectively crossing out the leaf village symbol. He tucked the kunai away and replaced his hitai-ate upon his face.

Before leaving, he leaned forward and kissed the name that was carved within the tree and his heart.


End file.
